Thermal and quantum fluctuations in extended Kitaev-Yao-Lee spin-orbital model

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Cen, Jiefu, Kee, Hae-Young
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Cen, Jiefu
Kee, Hae-Young
author_facet Cen, Jiefu
Kee, Hae-Young
contents Building upon the spin-1/2 Kitaev model on a honeycomb lattice, the Yao-Lee spin-orbital model provides exactly solvable quantum spin liquids with potentially better stability against perturbations due to the additional degree of freedom. Recently, the microscopic mechanism underlying the Yao-Lee interaction in honeycomb materials has been uncovered, leading to an extended Kitaev-Yao-Lee spin-orbital model when the celebrated Kugel-Khomskii interaction is included. Numerical studies of this model have identified various disordered phases, including a broad region of the nematic phase that is reminiscent of a spin-orbital liquid. Here, we investigate the origin and stability of this nematic phase via thermal and quantum fluctuations using classical Monte Carlo simulations and a generalized spin wave theory appropriate for the spin-orbital model. We demonstrate that the additional spin-orbital degree of freedom gives rise to strong thermal and quantum fluctuations in spin-orbital models, providing insight into the emergence of disordered phases.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_08710
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Thermal and quantum fluctuations in extended Kitaev-Yao-Lee spin-orbital model
Cen, Jiefu
Kee, Hae-Young
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Building upon the spin-1/2 Kitaev model on a honeycomb lattice, the Yao-Lee spin-orbital model provides exactly solvable quantum spin liquids with potentially better stability against perturbations due to the additional degree of freedom. Recently, the microscopic mechanism underlying the Yao-Lee interaction in honeycomb materials has been uncovered, leading to an extended Kitaev-Yao-Lee spin-orbital model when the celebrated Kugel-Khomskii interaction is included. Numerical studies of this model have identified various disordered phases, including a broad region of the nematic phase that is reminiscent of a spin-orbital liquid. Here, we investigate the origin and stability of this nematic phase via thermal and quantum fluctuations using classical Monte Carlo simulations and a generalized spin wave theory appropriate for the spin-orbital model. We demonstrate that the additional spin-orbital degree of freedom gives rise to strong thermal and quantum fluctuations in spin-orbital models, providing insight into the emergence of disordered phases.
title Thermal and quantum fluctuations in extended Kitaev-Yao-Lee spin-orbital model
topic Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.08710